Demons
by xXShiningintheDarkXx
Summary: /SasuSaku/ Don't get too close, it's dark inside. Look into my eyes; it's where my demons hide. Semi-canon. Rated T for angst and slight swearing.


Okay, this story has been edited, and so here it is! It was a pretty old idea, way before the very recent events of the Naruto manga. Hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics from Demons. That belongs to the talented Imagine Dragons. I don't own Naruto either.**

* * *

_**Look into my eyes**_

_**It's where my demons hide**_

* * *

Sakura stared inconspicuously at him, starstruck with the cute boy sitting next to her in class. Long raven bangs slightly covered his adorable forehead, and coal eyes sparkled with interest and curiosity as he listened to Iruka-sensei's lecture. Sakura never payed attention to the lessons much; she was very smart and already knew what Iruka-sensei was teaching, reading her textbook ahead of all the syllabus they were covering.

"Alright, class! I'm taking the roll now!" Iruka-sensei hollered from behind his wooden desk as he pulled out a drawer from the desk, getting out a thin book with all of the students' names printed inside in neat rows and columns.

Sakura listened extra carefully today, paying attention to when the endearing boy beside her would respond. She didn't know his name, but was eager to find out.

"Haruno Sakura!"

"Hai!" she chirped, waving her hand in the air to indicate that she was present. Iruka-sensei quickly shot a smile at her before turning back to his attendance book and calling out names again, ticking them off as their owners called back to testify their presence at the academy. She glanced to the boy beside her again and let out an inaudible squeak as she realised he was looking at her. His dark, dark eyes twinkled with inquisitiveness and liveliness as he smiled at her, swinging his legs a little underneath their desk. Her cheeks coloured pink, as she shyly smiled back.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Hai, sensei!" The pretty boy turned back towards the front of the classroom, where the Iruka had finished taking roll. Throughout the lesson, Sakura timidly stole shy glances at this 'Uchiha Sasuke', noting with interest how he appeared to always love his class at the academy. He always participated in class and was friendly, even to Naruto, who was somewhat a social outcast.

Over the next few weeks, she unconsciously saw Sasuke as a role-model, someone she wanted to become like. She even started talking to Naruto because of Sasuke's influence, but did not bother to actually spend time with the lonely boy. She however told him about the young Hyuuga heiress' crush on him out of kindness and merrily skipped away, leaving the blonde dumbfounded.

After the day she talked to Naruto, she took her regular seat beside Sasuke, smiling quickly at him while adjusting the ribbon on her head self consciously. Today was the day family members were allowed to watch the children perform during classes at the Academy, and Sakura was anxious about her parents being there in the classroom with her. Sasuke was also preoccupied, too caught up in his own thoughts to smile back. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the back of the room where chairs had been set up for the parents and siblings of the students, obsidian eyes scanning the crowd of adults, searching for someone.

Sakura followed his gaze to the area. Her eyes were immediately led to a teenager, wearing a black shirt and a pair of beige shorts who appeared out of place in the middle of all the adults. He looked ordinary, but carried an effortless air of grace and swiftness around him, indicating that he was probably a ninja. He had a wrinkle underneath each of his eyes, making him appear older than he actually was. He looked very familiar.

Sakura glanced between Sasuke and the tall stranger at the back, noting all the similarities. There were a lot, surprisingly. Both of them had the same eye shape and almost identical facial features, especially their noses.

Nudging Sasuke slightly to get his attention, she asked him, "Is that boy related to you, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke's eyes brightened as he looked back to the seating area, admiration and recognition gleaming in his coal orbs. Sakura found herself blushing slightly at the boyish grin that spread over the boy's face.

"Yeah! He's my older brother, Itachi!" he said enthusiastically. He gave a small wave to his older sibling. Apparently, he had not noticed his brother's presence before. Turning back towards the end of the classroom, Sakura saw that Itachi was walking towards Sasuke and her, a small smile on his face.

All the other students were busy introducing their parents to either Iruka-sensei or their friends. Naruto was nowhere to be seen and neither was her parents._'They must be running late, I hope they can make it!'_ Sakura thought turning to face the front of the class, while Sasuke waited for Itachi to make his way to their row of desks.

"Onii-chan!" Sasuke said happily, clutching his brother's hand tightly and letting go. "Sasuke." Itachi ruffled his little brother's hair, making Sasuke a bit disgruntled as he tried to fix his now unruly hair. Sakura let out a small giggle watching the two Uchiha brothers. Sasuke scowled childishly at Sakura and despite that, Sakura continued giggling at Sasuke's hair, which was sticking up all over his head, not just the back.

Itachi, noticing the girl sitting beside Sasuke for the first time, was a little taken aback by her appearance. Short pink - _pink_ - hair framed a wide forehead and was held back by a red wine-coloured ribbon, green eyes flickering with humour and interest as she watched Sasuke and himself. Her outfit was rather suburban: a black shirt with sleeves till her wrists with triangular holes on her upper arms and beige pants that stopped just underneath her knees. A white circle was stitched onto the back of her shirt, possibly her family insignia.

"Sasuke, who's your friend?" Itachi queried, looking curiously at the very apprehensive girl who was seated beside his little brother. The little girl flinched and looked away. Sasuke, noticing the girl's lack of confidence, tugged on her sleeve for attention while looking at Itachi, intent on raising her level of self-esteem.

"This is Haruno Sakura, onii-san. She's one of the smartest girls in the class!" he said, grinning at the now blushing girl. Itachi smirked inwardly at the girl's reaction.

_'The powers my little brother has over girls..__'_ his inward-smirk widened.

"She's also better than me at genjutsu and analytical excercises, Itachi-nii, can you believe it?!" Sasuke nearly yelled, an expression of disbelief on his innocent face. Itachi twitched at the scene his brother was making and merely poked him in the forehead.

"Well, it's nice to see that someone excels at genjutsu better than the Uchiha clan once in a while." Itachi remarked, directing a kind smile towards Sakura. She hid behind Sasuke and smiled shyly back.

The bell rang, indicating that classes were about to start. Just then, Sakura's parents burst through the door, her mother holding on to her father's collar who was choking for air, the constricting collar cutting off his air supply. Apparently she had been dragging him all the way to the Academy from home, judging from his dizzy expression. Sakura hid her face in her hands as people stared at her parents and tittered. She was embarrassed at the scene her parents had made.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, are those your parents?" Sasuke asked her. She merely nodded, face still buried in her tiny palms, too abashed to look up. Sasuke grinned and nudged her shoulder with his. "I think they're pretty carefree, Sakura. I'd love to have parents like that." Sasuke said helpfully, trying to make the rosette feel better.

It worked. Sakura slowly emerged from her hands with a tentative smile just as Iruka-sensei took his place at the front of the class.

"Okay, kids, today we'll be focusing on genjutsu!" Iruka called out cheerfully. Some kids groaned to appear cute and a few adults giggled and snorted at the back because of their 'adorable' behaviour. Sakura rolled her eyes at the attention-seekers in the class, and Sasuke laughed, but quickly coughed into his sleeve to cover it up.

"First of all, who can tell me what is genjutsu?"

Sakura's hand was in the air before anyone else's. Iruka picked her, eager to show off his class' intelligence and skill. Sakura gulped nervously, feeling the eyes of many curious parents boring holes into her back. She recalled everything they had learnt abut genjutsu, compiling a answer for Iruka-sensei.

"Genjutsu are illusionary techniques. They are similar to ninjutsu techniques, but genjutsu techniques manipulate the flow of chakra in the victim's brain, thus causing a disruption in their senses rather than their physical body." Sakura threw up all the words from their textbook. Awed murmurs floated throughout the classroom from the back, as awestruck parents murmured to one another about the intelligence of the rosette. Sakura looked down at her hands bashfully.

Suddenly, another hand enclosed her, warmth surrounding it. Sasuke gave her hand a small squeeze, still staring at Iruka who was trying to get the parents' attention. She smiled, a doll-like blush adorning her cheeks.

She held hands with Sasuke for the rest of the lesson, not wanting to let go.

* * *

"Well done in class, Sakura-chan!" her mother gushed, ruffling her daughter's hair. Sakura muttered a small 'thank you' demurely, toeing the grass at her feet.

"Sakura-chan! Ja matta ne!" Sasuke shouted, who was being piggy-backed by his brother. He laughed loudly as Itachi ran past the Haruno family, jostling Sasuke on his back. The two Uchiha brothers disappeared around a corner before Sakura got the chance to say good bye.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, is that boy a friend of yours?" her mother inquired. Kizashi finally tuned in to their conversation. If Sakura was talking to boys, it was his job to make sure that she was protected from any danger. Sakura nodded, a small smile developing on her face. For some reason, she kept staring at her left hand.

"That's Sasuke-kun. He sits next to me in class." she commented, eyes glued to her hand.

"He has lovely eyes, that boy." Mebuki commented, remembering the appearance of the kid. Sakura peered up at her mother questioningly. Mebuki smiled warmly and lovingly at her only daughter.

"It is said that you will also be able to see that person's demons through their eyes, Sakura. Keep that in mind while spending time with him." her mother said wisely. Sakura looked horrified.

"Demons?! Like Shinigami?!" Sakura shrieked, eyes wide with fear. Mebuki laughed softly at her daughter. " I meant the person's fears, destructive forces and passions, Sakura." Stopping with her advice for the day, she decided a little teasing was in order.

"After all, you're going to need it when you're his girlfriend, ne Sakura-chan?" her mother asked, playful glint in her green eyes. Sakura's face turned red and Kizashi let out a bark of laughter but later on started protesting when he realised Mebuki was serious.

"OKAA-SAN!"

* * *

It was a year later when Sakura truly understood what her mother had told her at the Academy. When she heard about the terrible, bone-chilling incident, the first thing she did was to bolt out of the house. Her parents didn't try to stop her, because they knew how much she cared for Sasuke. She ran hard and fast, not stopping until she reached the familiar dock which was just outside the Uchiha grounds. And, as sure as the sun rising everyday, she saw Sasuke sitting at the edge of the wooden dock, legs dangling above the surface of the lake.

He skimmed the length of the still water with his sandalled feet, kicking up droplets of liquid. Sakura flinched and made a small sound as the splash of water cut through the silence like the crack of a whip. Sasuke turned his head slightly to look at her, his raven bangs just touching the tip of his eyebrows. Sakura almost wanted to cry then, he was giving her the deadliest glare he could muster.

Her lip wobbled slightly as he stood up and approached her. " Nani?" he snapped at her brusquely, his shoulder slightly bumping against her as he walked past. Sakura stumbled slightly, turning around to face an annoyed Sasuke. Frankly, Sakura didn't know what to do. This was the first time Sasuke was behaving coldly towards her, so _distant_ and yet he was standing right in from of her.

"I-I'm.." she struggled to find the right words. _'I'm sorry'_ just seemed too overused. Sasuke chuckled bitterly.

"You're sorry? Heh, I don't need your pity, Sakura." She cringed from the icy tone of his voice. He turned to face her fully now. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked into the boy's eyes. They were inhospitable depths of black, all traces of warmth and liveliness gone. They were detached, yet a firm resolve was buried in there, along with rage and hatred.

"I don't need anyone. I'm an avenger, I don't need **anyone**." he repeated his statement callously, as if assuring himself that he indeed did not need anybody. With a final glare directed towards his former friend, he left the docks.

Sakura was shocked at the boy's heartless attitude. She lifted a hand hesitantly towards his retreating figure, wanting to call out but too emotionally confused to do so.

_'__That must have been the demons kaa-san was talking about.'_ Sakura thought, looking back and shuddering at the arctic, cold, _dead_ eyes of her former friend. A small tea slipped out from the corner of her eye as she stared the the long gone back of Sasuke.

* * *

It was that day. She was finally graduating, and was about to be acknowledged by everyone in the village as a kunoichi of Konoha.

"Team 7: Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka read out, twitching in annoyance when Naruto yelled out in happiness, but was immediately bonked on the head by a pissed off Sakura. Shooting a pointed look at the two of them, he turned back to the list, reading out the members of Team 8.

Sakura blushed slightly, embarrassed of the small scene she had caused by punching Naruto. She sat back down on her seat next to Sasuke, who shot a disinterested glance at her before turning his brooding stare to the front of the classroom. Naruto held his head in his hands next to her, fake anime tears running down his face at the bump Sakura had raised amidst his blonde spikes.

She shifted her bright green eyes towards her left, scrutinising the Uchiha. Outer Sakura was attempting to maintain a calm demeanour, but Inner Sakura was freaking out!

_'Oh-mee-gee, what does he think of the team? Of Naruto? Scratch that- he's an idiot,'_ he Inner ranted. _'__What does he think of me being put on his team? Is he angry?! Sad?! Happy?!'_

He turned his head towards Naruto, and before the moment he glared, Sakura saw his apathetic eyes and knew that he was indifferent to them, and more importantly, her. Sakura's confidence in her abilities as a ninja deflated a bit. She was smart, graduating just after Sasuke, Shino and Ino-pig overall. But her abilities were still not enough to be acknowledged by the Uchiha.

Inner Sakura's hair surrounded her head like a big, pink pulsing halo, as she clenched her fist in front of her. Both the Sakura-s scowled with determination.

**_"Become stronger, and we'll gain his attention!"_**

* * *

Sakura lay bruised on the ground, watching Ino and her team battle it out with the Sound ninja. They were in the second stage of the Chunin exam, and undoubtedly, it was much, _much _harder than the written test. At least for her.

"Sakura."

Her heart lifted as she realised Sasuke was awake. Forgetting the throbbing and aching of the multiple bruises scattered across her body, she turned her head backwards to happily acknowledge him.

"Sasuke-" she broke off, horrified by the sight before her. Sasuke stood, his forehead protector on the ground next to his discarded washcloth that kept him cool during his fever. A dangerous and ominous aura surrounded him, his Sharingan activated. The weird mark on his shoulder had spread out, more black marks were spread out across the left side of his body.

"-kun?" she asked apprehensively, petrified with the expression on his face. His normally dormant and apathetic onyx orbs were filled with inhuman cruelty and viciousness. Sasuke's lips were twisted into a sadistic leer and Sakura shuddered involuntarily at the dark expression on his face.

"Don't be afraid. I feel great." he said slowly, bringing up a mark-covered hand in front of his face, examining it with wonder. Sakura felt the need to slap Sasuke out of the trance he was put into by the mark, but deduced that he would probably attack her if she tried to.

"Who did this to you, Sakura?" he turned back to her, running a warm hand over an aching bruise on her cheek, smearing blood across her grimy skin. She froze on the spot, terrified as she realised that the Sound nin were still there. Sasuke noticed her flinch and looked over to the other end of the small clearing. Sakura kept her gaze glued to Sasuke, but it was obvious from the hardening of his eyes that he had found the assailants.

She was shocked, thinking that the intensity which with Sasuke had looked at her with when he woke up was the most harsh glare he could muster, but as he glared fiercely at the other ninja, she realised how much hatred and rage his demons were giving him. When he looked at her, it was only a bit of his anger, as if he softened his gaze.

...

She couldn't take it anymore. This wasn't how Sasuke was supposed to be like. Sure, he attacked when it was necessary, but the Sasuke she knew wasn't as sadistic as the one before her. Her Sasuke did not bask in the pleasure of hurting, torturing someone.

Before he could advance on the last Sound nin, she ran over to him, tears streaming out of her green eyes, Wrapping two very battered arms around his body, she effectively held jis arms against his sides as she hugged him from behind. He froze, looking behind him to meet her shining viridescent eyes which were overflowing with salty liquid. His sharp gaze automatically became more muted as he stared at the sobbing kunoichi who held him.

"Stop, please…" she begged.

Sakura squeezed her arms around him tighter. The black marks on his body began glowing orange as they receded back onto the three commas in the crook of his neck. He suddenly collapsed. Sakura also fell to the ground, slightly lessening the blow of his fall.

* * *

_'It worked...'_ Sakura thought, staring with wonderment at the fading green light around the hands of the lady with the enormous chest.

Sasuke slowly sat up on the bed. Sakura was never this glad to see the onyx-eyed boy open his eyes ever before. Crying tears of joy and relief, she hugged the boy tightly and protectively while choking out his name again and again.

"Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun….." she rocked him again and again. He didn't respond to her, but let her hold him, not pushing her away for once, even though he was fully aware of her hugging him. Sakura retracted her arms from around the Uchiha's neck and stared into his onyx eyes. What she saw nearly and almost broke her heart.

Lifeless and dull onyx orbs focused blearily onto her shinny green ones, which were beginning to tear up again. A muted horror played on somewhere behind his vulnerable Stygian eyes, which were slightly glazed over and failed to focus properly on her. His eyes closed as he slumped wearily against the rosette, who held him close to her, comforting him with her heartbeat and a few hummed bars of a lullaby.

She couldn't even begin to imagine what horrors Sasuke had seen in the genjutsu that had been cast upon him. She rocked him as he slowly fell into a fitful sleep. Her green eyes hardened.

"Never again will I let you suffer like this Sasuke. Never." she murmured against his ear softly. He was too deep in his sleep to hear her, but wrapped his arms around her for some comfort. Sakura held him throughout the day, until he woke up.

* * *

"After all this time," he stopped walking, turning around to face the sobbing kunoichi. Sakura's heart skipped a beat at the usual smirk on the Uchiha's face.

"You're annoying."

Her heart skipped another beat at the Uchiha's statement, staring into this captivating onyx eyes that managed to trap her countless number of times. They were determined, she realised, heart falling heavily. There was nothing she could do to stop him from leaving.

The ever present emotions of rage and hatred still lurked in the depths of onyx, accompanied with very little regret. Everything was buried in a small corner of his eyes, melancholiness and fondness taking up the black as he smirked arrogantly at the pink-haired kunoichi. He turned backwards, continuing on his path towards the Village gates.

"Don't leave me!" she shouted desperately. "If you go, I'll scream!" she threatened, preparing her voice for the shrillest and loudest shriek she could muster. The air inside her lungs disappeared along with the boy in front of her. He reappeared behind her, the air he was breathing out slightly warm, but nonetheless giving her goosebumps.

"Sakura, thank you," he paused slightly, the wind rustling leaves around them filled the silence between the two ninja.

"For everything."

_'Sasuke-kun….'_

She felt a small but sharp blow to the back of her neck. Her eyes closed as she slumped to the ground, the image of Sasuke's bewitching eyes haunting her in her troubled sleep.

* * *

They had made it to the snake's hideout, only for the emotionless bastard in front of her to betray the village and help Orochimaru with his vile glared ferociously at Sai, grasping his collar with a vicious hand and raised another to deliver a chakra-infused punch.

"Sakura, is it?"

She completely and utterly froze, recognising the voice but at the same time noticed how it had changed. It had become even more deeper, smooth and baritone but still managed to send shivers down her spine even after two fucking years. Cursing herself for her sentimentality, she turned to face the direction from where the voice had come from, not able to resist the heart that wanted to see his face so badly.

Her mouth let out a broken whimper, "Sasuke-kun?"

The sun was blazing behind his silhouette, so she could only make out his spiky raven hair that flowed with a slight breeze. A thin cloud passed over the sun's glare, making the colours come back. He hadn't changed much, his once boyish facial features were just much more sharper and defined. The same went for his body, a lean, slightly chiseled chest peeked out from an open vest. The only thing different about him was his outfit and more subtly, his onyx orbs.

They looked dead, just dead. Lifeless and cold, the only way you could tell that he was living was from the slight rise and fall of his chest, but his eyes were desolate. Sakura inwardly shuddered.

_'What has revenge and power cost you, Sasuke-kun?!'_ She wanted to yell up at him, but could not find the courage to do so. She felt Naruto's presence run into the crumbled ruins of Sasuke's chambers, but even his bright chakra could not cheer her up even the slightest bit after she had locked gazed with an emotionally dead Sasuke.

* * *

Sakura stared down at the battered and bloody form of the red-haired kunoichi, her hands trembling as she clutched the kunai harder to hide the shaking of her sweaty palms.

_'I-If I kill him now. it'll all be over..' _Sakura chanted this like a mantra in her head over and over again, trying to ignore the twinges of pain in her heart when she thought of stabbing Sasuke with the kunai she held in front of her. Her resolve was still shaky and so was she, but immediately froze as the kunoichi in front of her groaned.

"Sasuke," she whispered. "Don't…" Her red eyes locked onto something behind Sakura. It was only then that Sakura sensed the massive moulding of chakra behind her, and a moment later, the chirping of a thousand birds filled the air. She whirled around, her eyes greeted with the bright blue of Sasuke's chidori.

His eyes were crazed, clouded with bloodlust. They were inhuman, gone were the serene onyx orbs she knew. Hell, she preferred the apathetic Sasuke to sadistic Sasuke. But whatever he had gone through before Sakura arrived had taken him off his rocker pretty badly, he failed to see the girl he had vowed to protect during the Chunin exams. Right now, he only saw her as a person from Konoha he had to kill in order to achieve his goals, nothing more. Onyx eyes flickered heavily with bloodthirstiness as he brought his jutsu towards a frozen Sakura.

"CHIDORI!"

Sakura stood paralysed, watching as the lightning drew closer and closer to her face, eyes still locked with brutal onyx. Suddenly, beige covered her vision as a figure landed in front of her, grasping Sasuke's wrist and throwing him backwards. He somersaulted gracefully, landing on his feet and glaring viciously at Sakura and her saviour.

"Kakashi-sensei…" she muttered, still in shock from Sasuke's hostility. Her eyes broke along with her heart as the mind conjured up the image of Sasuke as he rushed at her with the Chidori, looking almost demented and murderous.

His demons had completely taken over him, and Sakura wasn't quick enough to save him. A soundless tear slipped out of a viridian green eye.

* * *

Sakura forced the healing chakra determinedly albeit gently through her arms, so as to not hurt Naruto. Focusing on the major bruises, she guided the chakra towards the injuries, reducing and numbing the pain while mending muscle and skin.

A body jumped over her and Naruto and landed in front of thm, startling her. Green eyes widened as she took in the person's appearance. The black pants and white shirt appeared normal, and the purple rope passed off as fairly ordinary. But the main surprising things was the Uchiha crest on the back of the shirt and the raven, spiky bangs.

"Sasuke-kun?" she inquired hesitantly. The head filled with spiky hair moved sideways, revealing slightly tanned alabaster skin. Onyx eyes peeked out from under thick black eyelashes.

"Sakura, huh?"

His eyes were battered, Sakura noted. Not physically, but emotionally. Sakura's green orbs narrowed with compassion for the Uchiha youth. His coal orbs looked tired, and they were endless pools of sadness and melancholy. Regret flashed out from under his eyebrows, leaking and flowing endlessly with unshed tears. Sakura almost let out a tear of her own at the boy's state but instead, finished her task of healing Naruto.

"Took you long enough, Sasuke!" Naruto said, grinning at his best friend. Sasuke merely grunted at the blonde. "Rest up, Sakura-chan, leave the rest to us!" Naruto said, looking over his shoulder, before the two boys jumped onto a ledge of elevated rock.

Sakura followed suit, surprising the two ninja. Sasuke had an apathetic facade, but his eyes clearly showed that he was still slightly depressed from whatever had transpired before his arrival on the battlefield. There was also incredulity at her defiance, not used to her disobeying him or Naruto.

"Did you really think I would sit back and play damsel in distress, again you two?" Sakura nearly spat out the words, slightly angry with her friends for thinking she was weak.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto began. Sakura cut him off.

"I am a student of a Sannin as well. I may be a medic but I can fight as well as you two can!" she argued. "Besides Ive been saving up my fighting techniques for this moment, so you can't force me to stay behind any longer!"

Naruto smiled at her eagerness to prove herself to Sasuke and him. Sakura looked at Sasuke, green eyes daring him to say anything against her fighting. He stared back impassively.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat as Sasuke's stare lingered on her even when she looked away. She scanned the battlefield, focusing on the slightly distant figure of the Juubi, which was roaring aggressively into the sky.

"Yosh! Team 7 reunited once more!" Naruto yelled. "Let's go Sakura-chan, Sasuke!"

"Yeah!"

"Hn."

* * *

'Sakura-chan!"

_Naruto….._

'Sakura. Wake up.'

_Sasuke…_

"Kuso , wake up!"

* * *

Sakura's eyes slowly opened, hazy and confused by what the world revealed. It was a bit foggy - no, dusty, little specks of dirt settled around her, forming a thin film of sand on the ground. Rustling of the small pebbles on the ground made her tilt her head sideways, towards the source of movement.

Naruto sat there, head buried in Hinata's shoulder, who was cradling his head towards her collarbone. Silent tears ran down her alabaster skin as Naruto shook against her body, his frame wracked with sobs.

_'Don't cry, Naruto…'_

She wanted to reach out to the blonde, brush his cheek and wipe away the unwelcome tears. Sadness, grief and mourning did not suit the blonde's personality and character at all, and yet, despite all of the promises she made to never let Naruto suffer again- here she was. The very reason for his suffering.

Somebody squeezed her hand, and a second later she felt a droplet of salty liquid land on her arm. It stung a cut there, making her wince slightly. Tilting her head to the other side, she was surprised. Sasuke was kneeling down beside her, clutching he hand tightly. His head was bowed down slightly, hiding his broken-hearted face from view, but nobody was looking. His face was covered with dirt, and a clear path cut through the grim down his left cheek, the only trace of the tear let out from his eye.

Her eyes were barely open, but it wasn't enough to tell Sasuke that she she was still alive. Gathering a small amount of chakra, she began to internally heal herself, and the Uchiha didn't notice. His eyes were closed, a couple more tears on the verge of spilling. Opening his eyes, a few more clear tracks appeared on his face.

Sakura's heart broke into a million pieces as she looked at the Uchiha's eyes. She was fully aware of the fact that he had brought a hand up to her blood stained cheek to softly, gently stroke it, as if he was afraid to disturb her in her sleep. His eyes were devoid of any hope, happiness or even contentment at the fact that they had defeated their enemy. His onyx eyes had turned even more black, dark with all of his demons finally coming full circle. Rage and bitterness swirled around, despair and hopelessness encompassing a large amount of emotion in his coal orbs.

He stroked her cheek again with his thumb, the realisation that she wasn't coming back hitting him hard in the gut. He leaned over her, pressing his cheek against her stomach. A small pulse of healing chakra ran through her abdominal muscles, zapping him. He straightened up hastily, onyx orbs widening with disbelief.

With her last bits of energy, Sakura managed to open her eyes fully and gaze at the Uchiha, a small smile plastered onto her bloodied face. She squeezed his hand softly, and he was gripping it like it was a lifeline. He managed to gasp out her name, amidst from his denial, eyes brightening with certainty at her survival.

"S-Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun." she murmured quietly, but Sasuke picked up every word she uttered. She was suddenly grabbed up from the ground and embraced tightly. She let out a small groan of pain and protest, weakly batting against Sasuke's unrelenting hold as a dull throb reverberated around in her stomach. Sasuke lessened his grip on her, pulling her into his lap instead. He touched his sweaty forehead to her, breaths coming out in sporadic gasps.

Running a hand over her jawline, he brought his first two fingers under Sakura's chin and tilted it up. Tired emerald eyes clashed with intense onyx. Sakura felt a blush coming up on her cheeks despite the situation they were in. The Uchiha's fervent gaze made her feel vulnerable.

"Sakura, I made a promise to keep the ones I love safe." he breathed out softly, remembering the time during the Chunin exam after Sakura had been attacked by Gaara. Hot puffs of air from his mouth came into contact with her cool lips. She swallowed, the air around the the couple was stifling with tension in the air.

"You just had to go and endanger that promise. You are so goddamn annoying, you stupid woman!" he said harshly, pulling her chin towards him. Leaning down, he connected their lips in a soft, yet passionate kiss.

Sasuke's lips were soft, yet unyielding as they brushed along her own. Sakura let out a soft gasp and closed her eyes as Sasuke brought her closer, one hand cupping the back of her neck while the other rested on the small of her back, pushing her further into his lap. He took advantage of her breath and pressed harder against her mouth, kissing her feverishly and passionately. She caressed his smooth cheek with her knuckles and shyly threaded her other fingers into his rough, yet silky onyx locks.

She pulled away, the need to breath overcoming her need to touch, to kiss Sasuke. She brought her forehead to Sasuke's and cupped his cheeks gently. Opening her eyes, she was met with soft onyx, which was looking at her with a muted tenderness. She frowned. Something was missing. Looking deeply into his eyes again, she searched and searched. She almost whooped with joy at her discovery. His demons all seemed to have vanished, all the rage, coldness and death driven off and replaced by his old pools of warm, _warm _obsidian.

* * *

All along, Haruno Sakura was the only one who knew how Uchiha Sasuke expressed his feelings.

When Sakura actually took heed of her mother's advice, she was surprised that it when it actually worked.

Over the years, being the analytical girl she was, she was the only one who knew what Sasuke was feeling because of those beautiful eyes of his, so expressive.

His eyes were the only connection he had to emotions, and Sakura was the only one who recognised that.

Sasuke was grateful for it. For the demon-killer in the form of Haruno Sakura.

* * *

_**~It bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.~**_

_** - Corinthians 13:7**_

* * *

I don't like this because Sasuke seems OOC, but my beta reader, hypheniated, cleaned this up so much from the horrible mess of a story it was. Thank you!

And to all my readers of Umbrella of Togetherness, thank you for the reviews. It would be great if this story received reviews as well. Hoped you enjoyed this story.

**xXShiningintheDarkXx**


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